Air Fa La La Lo Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (00:09) Musical Introduction Welcome back to the Phase 2 Celtic Guitar Series with Steve Eulberg! In this scene, Steve provides a brief glimpse into the chord progression of "Air Fa La La Lo." Chapter 2: (09:54) Air Fa La La Lo Song Lyrics - translated by Hugh Robertson
Melody - traditional

1. There's lilt in the song I sing, there's laughter and love
There's tang o' the sea, and blue from heaven above
Of reason there’s none, and why should there be forbye
With fire in the blood, and toes and light in the eye

Air fa la la lo horo air fa la la lay
Air fa la la lo horo air fa la la lay
Air fa la la lo horo air fa la la lay
Faleefalo horo air fa la la lay

2. The heather’s ablaze, wi bloom the myrtle is sweet
There's song in the air, the road’s a song at our feet
So step it along, as light as the bird on the wing
And stepping along, let us join our voices and sing

(Chorus)

3. And whether the blood, be highland or lowland or no
And whether the skin, be white or black as the sloe
Of kith and kin we’re one, be it right be it wrong
If only our hearts beat true, to the lilt o’ the song

(Chorus)

Tuning to Drop D

Steve demonstrates this song in drop D tuning. This alternate tuning allows for some fuller sounding voicings that are not available in standard tuning.

1. When tuning to Drop D, first tune your guitar to standard tuning. Within standard tuning, the open strings are tuned as follows:

6th string: E
5th string: A
4th string: D
3rd string: G
2nd string: B
1st string: E

2. Tune the sixth string down to the note D. This step can be accomplished by three different methods. Experiment with all three methods to determine which yields the best results for you. Most guitarists begin with one method. Then, a second method is used to check tuning accuracy.

A. Method 1

Match the pitch of the open sixth string to the open fourth string. Remember that the open fourth string produces the note D.

B. Method 2

Match the pitch of the note played at the 7th fret of the sixth string to the pitch of the open A string.

C. Method 3

Match the harmonic played at the 12th fret of the sixth string to the harmonic played at the same fret of the fourth string. The harmonic at the 12th fret of the fourth string produces the note D. This method tends to yield the best results for most players.

Regardless of which method works best for you, Always tune up to the pitch. The human ear is more accurate when using this approach. Stretch the string out and retune it to give it new memory.

Harmony

The song is played in the key of D major. Instead of using simple, "open" chord voicings, Steve opts to play more colorful voicings for the I, IV, and V chords. He plays the Dadd9 voicing that he has discussed in previous lessons. For the IV chord, G, he uses the G6 voicing discussed in lesson 2. The same chord shape is used to play the V chord as well. When slid up two frets, an Aadd9 chord is formed. Always remember to analyze the way in which the open strings function in relation to the chord when playing these voicings. For more information on this topic, visit lesson 15 from Brad Henecke's Phase 2 Classic Rock Series.

If you like, you can experiment with other chord voicing options that you know for the I, IV, and V chords in this key. For example, you could use open chord voicings to add some variety to the progression.

Half Cadences

This song ends on the V chord. This is what is called a half cadence. A half cadence produces tension by leaving the listener hanging. Since the final chord is not resolved, the listener is left wanting more.

Song Demonstration

Steve plays through the entire chord progression while singing the melody at 03:28 in the lesson video.

3/4 Time

This song is played in 3/4 time. This signature indicates that there are three quarter notes in each measure. This signature can be a little bit tricky because there is an odd number of beats per measure. The waltz is an example of a common rhythm played in 3/4 time. In a waltz rhythm, the first beat of each measure is accented. This gives the rhythm a steady "oom pah pah" sound.

Triple Meter

A triple meter is a time signature in which the number of beats per measure is divisible by three. Some common examples are 3/4 and 9/8 time.

Potential Difficulties

The chords change much more rapidly compared to previous songs that Steve has taught in this series. They typically change at the beginning of each measure. More chords are used as well. Consequently, this song may seem much more difficult to play at first.

Bass Walks

Some bass walk downs are played in the progression to break the monotony of a constant strumming pattern. A walk down is played between the G and D chords. This walk features a descending stepwise line derived from the D major scale.

A chordal walk-up also occurs between the A and D chords. A G/B chord is played on beat 2. An A7/C# chord creates a half step resolution between the V chord and the root of the tonic D chord in the following measure.

Practice Time

Learn the first 20 bars of the chord progression. Remember to practice them along with the JamPlay metronome. Make sure the metronome is set to three beats per measure. Set it to accent the first beat of each measure. The first beat should be accented in this time feel. Then, return to the lesson video and play this portion along with Steve at 08:08. Chapter 3: (05:03) Chord Considerations and More of the Song Em in Drop D Tuning

When playing in drop D tuning, an "open" Em chord can be fingered a few different ways. Most players prefer to play it with fingers 2, 3, and 4 on the bass strings. However, some find it more comfortable to play the low root note at the 2nd fret with the thumb. Spend a significant amount of time using both fingerings to determine which option feels most comfortable for you.

Measure 21

The next phrase of the song begins in measure 21. This phrase may throw you off at first when playing the entire song since it begins with the V chord instead of tonic.

Measure 26

A surprise chord is used in measure 26. An E major chord is used instead of the Em chord. It is fairly common to use a major II chord as a secondary dominant chord leading to the V chord.

Practice / Play Along

Pause the lesson video and practice measure 21 through the end. When you feel ready, return to the lesson video and play this section along with Steve at 02:50.

Play the progression in its entirety with Steve at 03:10. The first time through, he calls out the chord changes to help keep you on track. The next time through, he sings the melody line. This will force you to keep track of all of the chord changes on your own. Make sure that you memorize the song form! This will help you remember where the chord changes occur. Also, learning the melody will give your ear a helpful cue of when the chords change.

Before you advance to the next scene, make sure that you have mastered all of the chord progression to the chorus section. Remember to practice at a variety of tempos. Celtic performers typically interpret songs in a wide variety of tempos. For additional practice, try playing through the progression using voicings in standard tuning. Chapter 4: (05:46) Melodic Break Songs that feature the same melody for the verse and the chorus can get quite monotonous. For this reason, you must get creative with the overall arrangement of the song. Steve chooses to add an instrumental break to the song to add some variety. The lack of lyrics and the difference in timbre between the voice and the guitar during this break adds enough variety to keep the song interesting.

Learning the Melody

Learn the melody one phrase at a time. If you memorize the lyrics or syllables, you will have an easier time learning and memorizing the melody line. Remember that combining various brain functions will enable you to learn anything in the most effective manner.

Left Hand Position

Similar to the past several songs he has taught, Steve plays the melody to this song in second position. This is due to the fact that the key of D major features F# and C# notes. These notes are played at the 2nd and 4th frets. It is most comfortable to play these notes with the 1st and 3rd fingers rather than the 2nd and 4th fingers, which must be used when playing in first position. Once again, he uses open string notes whenever possible to give the song a more authentic Celtic sound. However, he plays a B note at the 4th fret in measure 18. The sound of a fretted note works slightly better here since all of the notes in this measure can now be played on the same string.

Right Hand

Most of the melody is played with downstrokes. Steve uses alternate picking for groups of 2 or more eighth notes.

Practice / Play Along

Steve provides an example of the entire melody at 04:08. Listen to this performance several times before you begin to practice the whole melody on your own. You can also practice your accompaniment skills during this play along example by playing the chord progression. When you have mastered the melody and can play it along with a metronome, return to the lesson video and play it along with Steve. Chapter 5: (06:07) Finishing the Song and Final Thoughts Full Song Performance

In this scene, Steve performs the song as recorded on his album Soaring. Click here to purchase it from Steve's website.
Pay careful attention to the form of the song. Notice how the end of the song totally leaves you hanging and wanting more. This will set you up very nicely for the next song in your set or recording.

Intro
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Instrumental melodic break
3rd Verse
Chorus

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